Monroe County Historical Society, Inc. presents August ... · 10 am –4 pm 10 am—4 pm Sunday 1-4 pm Wed-Fri 1-4 pm Admission: $2/adult, $1/child, 3 & under free. Members + their

On September 22, 23, and 24, Stinesville is celebrating its 150th birthday during the Limestone Quarry Festival. In June of 1955, the Stinesville Centennial organizers pub-lished a Centennial Book, with the history of the town and biographies of the early settling families. This book is now a hard-to-find col-lectors’ item for the local residents. Today’s organizers have taken the text from that book and added a history of the town and busi-nesses from the Centennial to the present time.

The Sesquicentennial committee has organ-ized a display of Stinesville’s early limestone industry establishments. Pictures of local limestone quarries and mills, including sev-eral panoramic photos, will be displayed at the Stinesville Mercantile during the Festival.

The History Center will also have an exhibit of Stinesville memora-bilia during August and September.

The Centennial was a great suc-cess for the area and was even supported by the Monon Railroad, which provided extra passenger service from Bloomington and Gosport. The Monon Presidential

See Stories… Touch Time… Make Memories...

Monroe County Historical Society, Inc. presents

Exhibit and Program Schedule

2

Water Fight Threatens Town 3

By Their Fruits 3

Garage Sale Report 3

News from Other Places 4

News from the Library 5

Remission of Fine 6

Solsberry’s Brush with Destiny

8

Lincoln Death’s Effect on How We Mourn

10

Highlighted articles in this issue:

August 2005

Vol. 2005 Issue 4

Stinesville Sesquicentennial in September By Ron Baldwin

car was parked on the tracks in town. The sup-port from the Monon was greatly appreciated, for the town of Stinesville owed its existence to the Louisville/Chicago Railroad. At the time, Mt. Tabor was the largest community in Bean Blos-som Township. Because the railroad followed Jack’s Defeat Creek to get to Bloomington from Gosport, Mt. Tabor was bypassed. Eusebius Stine foresaw the possibilities and purchased this little part of Section 17, then platted Stines-ville on both sides of the tracks in April of 1855.

The last train went through Stinesville on 15 April 1996, and the CSX crew removed the tracks as they proceeded through town. Ron Baldwin is the Monroe County Historian.

The public part of the Founders Endowment Drive is underway.

The goal is $2,000,000; the interest will be used to augment

the operating budget and ex-pand staffing. There are a vari-

ety of giving opportunities. Pledges can be extended over three years. Call the office for

more details.

$2,000,000

$1,500,000

$1,000,000

$500,000

Are you a Founder yet?

Total Contributions for 2005-2006 is $4734.

Museum

Museum Store

Genealogy Library

Educational Facility

All meetings and programs will be held at the History Center, unless

otherwise stated.

General Board Meeting 2nd Thursday of the month, 4 pm

Members always welcome!

Civil War Roundtable’s Summer Trips • July and August trips are being

planned. Please check their website for more details—http://mypage.iu.edu/~rawatson/roundtable/. Look at the June 2005 issue of the “Sentinel” newsletter. For more information please call Steve Rolfe 336-0757 or Mary Jane Blustein 334-2319.

Midwestern Roots 2005: Family History and Genealogy Confer-ence August 19-20 This great conference will be held in Indianapolis. Check this website for more information www.indianahistory.org/midwesternroots/ Assembling the Pieces of History: Advanced Hands-on Cemetery Restoration Workshop Sept. 17 Call 317-233-8913 for more info.

Page 2 Monroe County H istor ian August 2005

Monroe County History Center

Kari Price, Executive Director 202 East Sixth Street

Bloomington, IN 47408

Office/Museum Genealogy Library 812-332-2517 812-355-5588

E-mail: [email protected] Web Address: monroehistory.org

Museum/Store Genealogy Library Tue– Sat Tues and Sat 10 am –4 pm 10 am—4 pm Sunday 1-4 pm Wed-Fri 1-4 pm

Admission: $2/adult, $1/child, 3 & under free. Members + their guests always free

OFFICERS for 2005-2006 Rachel McCarty, President David Musgrave, Treasurer

M. Phil Hathaway, VP Finance Janice Partenheimer, VP Operations

Laura Newton, Secretary Marilyn Skirvin, Assoc. Secretary

Liz Knapp, Library Director

MCHS Mission People develop a "sense of place" through experience and knowledge of a particular area. A sense of place emerges through knowledge of the history, geography and geology of an area, its flora and fauna, the legends of a place, and a growing sense of the land and its history. Developing a sense of place helps people identify with their region and with each other. A strong sense of place can lead to more sensitive stewardship of the county’s cultural and natural history. The Monroe County His-torical Society promotes and celebrates this sense of place by collecting, preserv-ing, interpreting and displaying materials and artifacts related to the cultural and natural heritage of Monroe County.

Society established 1905 Museum established 1980

“Lullaby Baby” This charming exhibit features baby quilts, vintage christening gowns and cradles. Exhibit closes August 30, 2005.

“Bloomington Hospital 100 Years of Medicine” This exhibits features some of the medical equipment in the Monroe County History Center’s collec-tion. Explore how medical treat-ment has changed over the past 100 years. Exhibit is on-going.

“Summer Sunday: 1905” MCHS is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. This exhibit will let you step back in time to a lazy summer Sunday afternoon in 1905. Featured are beautiful white dresses, which were very common, along with information about what was in the news in 1905. Closes October 30, 2005.

This is a 1950 MI John Deere tractor. For many years, it was used by Ted and Loretta Condra on their farm. This particular trac-tor was # 167 of the 1032 manu-factured from 1949-1952. It was restored and is on loan by Joe Peden. The tractor will be on ex-hibit through the summer.

Page 3 Monroe County H is tor ian August 2005

Water Fight Threatens Showers Plant and Bloomington’s Future The following article from the Indiana Daily Student (11 March 1924) outlines the prob-lem of a reliable water supply faced by the city of Bloomington. “Showers Officers To Meet Today To Pon-der Removal of Plant From Bloomington—Action of Directors Caused by Obstruction to Settlement of Water Problem—$1,000,000 Expansion Program To Be Re-sumed If Settlement Reached” Removal from Bloomington of Showers Brothers $5,000,000 furniture manufacturing plant, the largest in the world, will be consid-ered by directors of the company at a meet-ing today. This ultimatum was delivered yes-terday when obstructionists to the Bloom-ington Water company’s Griffy creek project indicated they would not retract from their original stand. Since the first step was taken in the direction of installing a new water plant at Griffy creek, four miles northwest of Bloomington, to replace the old Leonard Springs dam condemned by engineers and geologists, the faction opposing the move to give the city an adequate water supply has declared they would “fight to the finish.”

“Not Bluffing” “We are not bluffing,” W. E. Showers, presi-dent of the company, declared last night in an interview with representatives of the Indi-ana Daily Student. “It is a cold-blooded busi-

ness proposition. To continue expansion with the water situation as it is in Bloomington would be folly.” Mr. Showers made it clear that if the water situation was settled in the next two or three weeks the company would make new contracts for the $1,000,000 ex-pansion plans which were withdrawn last week because of the tenseness of the water fight. Otherwise, the company will arrange to begin installation of the new unit either in Burlington, IA., where a branch factory al-ready is operated, or at Louisville, Ky., which has limitless resources to offer, he said.

“Bloomington Overconfident” “Bloomington is making a mistake by being over-confident of its prosperity,” Mr. Showers said. “From a business standpoint the city is not an ideal manufacturing center. Taxes are high, rent is high, the wage scale is higher than in Flint, Mich., and to top it all off there is no promise of a water supply that will meet the needs of our company as we plan to de-velope [sic] it. The city is at the point where it either will go forward or slip backward. It is not at all improbable that Bloomington will lose Indiana University if water is not pro-vided. This does not mean the institution would be removed bag and baggage within two or three months, but there is nothing to prevent the state legislature adopting the policy of expanding in other communities.”

By Their Fruits Family trees are funny; time was when they were tended and pruned, all dead tim-ber being carefully cut out; but now bare limbs are a common sight on even some of our oldest and best family trees. Some of them produce a lot of peaches, and the same branch may also bear nuts. Many blossoms are found nestling in the leafy branches and perchance a few with-ered wallflowers are found tucked away in sundry nooks. Lemons are common on some of the trees;

prunes and quinces abound. Some of this fruit is easy picking, some of it has to be pretty well shaken before it will fall. You will find many little love nests tucked away in the branches of the old family tree and also some pretty queer birds. But, everything considered, the family tree is a pretty good tree, and it is quite a ca-lamity to fall out of it.—Current Opinion. From the March 1930 page of a calendar advertising Brown’s Business College, Sterling, Ill., and Brown’s College of Commerce, Clinton, Iowa, both affiliated with the Scovill System of Business Training Schools. Contributed by Liz Knapp.

Garage Sale Report

The annual MCHS benefit garage sale was another

success! It brought in $6900.

Special thanks goes to the following wonderful people: Cook Pharmica- Jerry Ar-thur, Rick Naftzger, Larry Newell, who allowed us to

use the former RCA/Thomson warehouse and

were a big help to us during the preparation and sale.

CFC, Inc. Jim Murphy and their crew, who donated truck use, hauling, labor, merchandise, tables and

storage. The sale wouldn’t be possible without them.

We also thank John and Joyce Holmes and all the

volunteers and friends who donated items, sorted,

priced and bought—and enjoyed lots of laughs and lunches together over the four weeks of work in the

warehouse.

GREAT NEWS…. This year’s garage sale site will be the permanent loca-tion for future garage sales. The Society will now be ac-cepting garage sale items

YEAR ROUND.

Start saving Items for the

February auction!

Numerous volunteers make the garage sale possible

each year. From l-r, Sally Kofmehl, Carol Darling and

Janice Partenheimer.

Heritage Quest at MCPL The Monroe County Public Library now has Heritage Quest available, and it can be accessed with the number on your library card! Heritage Quest includes PERSI, a valuable resource for genealogists. For more information, go to: http://www.mcpl.info and click on “Research Tools” from the menu in the left-hand bar. Scroll through the list that appears and click on “Heritage Quest Online.” You will be asked to input your MCPL library card number. After it’s been accepted, a list of options will appear, including PERSI. The Periodical Source Index (PERSI) is a subject index to articles in over 6,000 periodicals, including family newsletters. The Historical Genealogy Department of the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne, Indiana, started PERSI in 1985. So far, there are 1.7 million entries. A successful search will result in a citation to an article, not the full text, which may be obtained for a fee from ACPL or located in any library that carries the periodical. IGS 2006 Conference The IGS 2006 Conference will be held at Austin High School in Austin, Scott County, Indiana, on 1 April 2006 (no fooling!). Austin is about 30 miles north of New Albany off I-65 (just a short drive from Bloomington). The conference will be hosted by the Scott County Genealogical Society. The featured speaker will be the president of the Ohio Genealogical Society, Diane VanSkiver Gagel, M.A. There will be additional local speakers at the conference. For conference updates and other information, check out the IGS web site at: http://www.indgensoc.org Cemetery Restoration Workshop On 17 September 2005, an informative, hands-on workshop in advanced cemetery restoration techniques will be held at Friendship Cemetery in Johnson County, Indiana. The workshop, entitled “Assembling the Pieces of History,” features two sessions. During the instructional portion, professional cemetery restorers John Walters and Daniel Faris will discuss materials and techniques, as well as how to find the original locations of


Volunteers Needed

to help with Book Cataloging Map Cataloging

Scanning Articles

For more information please contact

Liz Knapp, Genealogy Library Director

355-5588 or 332-2517

News from Other Places

New and Renewed Members

Basic Anne Benckart Mary England Indiana Room –MCPL Marion & Lucy Jacobs Elizabeth Latimer Naomi Lawlis Merv & Linda Meister Randi Richardson Wayne Warden, Jr. Olga Zai Friend Alyea Ethan James & Micaela Richter Century Club Jane Hitchcock Jean Warholic Sustaining Lee Ann Merry Julian & Mary Pat Livingston

stones that have been moved. A hands-on session will provide practical experience in working with broken, leaning, misplaced, and disassembled stones and obelisks under the supervision of several experts. The registration deadline is September 10. The workshop is sponsored by the Indiana Historical Society and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. For more information, contact Corrie E. Cook (317-233-8913; e-mail: [email protected]). Web Sites * The Bostonian Society’s Online Collection Catalog. Access the Bostonian Society’s library catalog, as well as its database of 3,000 photographs of Boston street scenes between 1850 and 1980, at: http://rfi.bostonhistory.org

* US Steel Gary Works Photograph Collection. View more than 2,200 photos of this corporate town’s steel mill and the people who worked there at: http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/collections/steel

* History of U.S. Armies in Uniform. See photographs of historical U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps uniforms at: http://www.tekawiz.com

* Genealogy Buffs. Beginners and more advanced genies will find a broad range of helpful information at: http://www.genealogybuff.com Reprinted with permission from Family Tree Magazine Email Update, copyright 2004 F+W Publications Inc. To subscribe to this free weekly e-mail newsletter, go to: http://www.familytreemagazine.com/newsletter.asp. For a free sample copy of the print Family Tree Magazine, America’s #1 family history magazine, go to: http://www.familytreemagazine.com/specialoffers.asp? FAMfreeissue

Bean Blossom Township Advisory Board J.F. Grubb, A.J. Litten, E.L. Dunning

From the 1929 “Quarrian”

classmates from earlier years) and indicates those killed in action.

Family History Book Library volunteers are helping with the revised plan for the new Monroe County Family History Book. Mary Jane Bluestein and Jason Slutzky are heading up the effort to complete the project. The original plan required prepaid orders for at least 1,000 copies, but only about 250 orders were received. Under the revised plan, a smaller run of a soft-cover book will be printed to cover the orders and provide some copies for sale in the Museum Store. Those who have already placed orders will receive a refund for overpayment and a copy of the completed publication. New orders are also being taken. For more information, call the History Center office at 332-2517, or e-mail: [email protected]

Library Projects: Volunteers Needed The Genealogy Library is in need of data entry volunteers to input information from the Bloomington Title Company books, which contain valuable material for genealogists and local historians. Brenda Lommel has completed the work through 1850, and Randi Richardson has done an index for the tract books. The grant has been extended for one year, and now the pertinent information from the records through the early 1900s must be extracted in order to finish the project. The library has other data entry and scanning tasks that need volunteer help, including the newspaper clipping and card/envelope file project. Some of the work could be done at home. If you can help, please contact Liz Knapp (332-2915; e-mail: [email protected])! New E-mail Address The new e-mail for the Genealogy Library is: [email protected]

News from the Library Library Donations The gift of a new edition of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Patriot Index, published in 2003, has been received from Donna Viehman, a friend of the Genealogy Library. She is originally from Monroe County and now resides in Jackson, Wyoming. She is researching the Patton and Haddon families. Lineage researchers will especially appreciate this valuable resource! Tom and Vickie Edington have donated a document that contains a wealth of information on the south-central Indiana community historically known as “Maryland Ridge.” It began as an early nineteenth-century industrial and agricultural community, with strong anti-slavery and religious elements, developed cooperatively by black, white, and freed black settlers. Maryland Ridge lies in a band along the Monroe and Greene County line. It encompasses the towns and environs of Elwren, Stanford, and Buena Vista in Monroe County, along with Hendricksville, Solsberry, and Hobbieville in Eastern Greene County. The Virginia Iron Works lies within this region. The document, prepared as the preliminary part of an application to the National Register of Historic Places, contains information on pioneer families, historic events, and black settlement in Greene, Monroe, and Owen counties. An extensive selection of photographs includes the 1870 Methodist Church, Adams Cemetery, Maryland Ridge farmsteads and homes, sugar houses, barns, smoke houses, bridges, community grocery stores, and historic farm equipment.

Index Updates The Monroe County Death Index has been updated. The 2003–2004 volume is now available in the Genealogy Library. A revised and reformatted copy of the 1882–1920 volume is also on the shelves. This makes the death index complete for the years 1882 to the present. The 1930 Monroe County Census Index, in two volumes, will be ready soon.

Stinesville Yearbooks The Genealogy Library has three volumes of The Quarrian for 1929, 1946, and 1959. These yearbooks for Stinesville High School also contain class photographs of the lower grades. The 1946 Quarrian has a service roll of World War II participants (including


Addendum Alice Binkley, whose

obituary appeared in the last issue of the Monroe County Historian, was a sixty-year member of Pi

Beta Phi.

Stinesville Consolidated School

from the 1929 “Quarrian”

St ore

Genealogy

Donat ions

Admission & Ket t le

Fund Raisers

Ed. Room Rent al

Membership Dues

Program

Government

Invest ment Int erest

Building Maint enance

Training

Collect ion

Fundraisers

Comput ers

Pr int ing

Ut ilit ies

Miscellaneous

Volunt eer

GenealogyAd.

Of f ice Supplies


Level 4 • CFC, INC. • Curry Buick-Pontiac-

GMC Truck, Inc. Level 3 • Commercial Service

Heating & Cooling Level 2 • United Commerce Bank Level 1 • Oliver Wine Company,

Inc. • Sowders Landscaping • Central Lions Club • Monroe Bank

Corporate Members

Remission of Fine By Penelope Mathiesen

The following document is from the Monroe County Circuit Court records. It consists of a standard form on which some of the text was already printed, with blank lines pro-vided for writing in whatever was specific to the case. In the following transcription, the portions of the text added in a “flourishing hand” have been underlined. The party mentioned in the document is Norman Goldsborough. The 1870 Monroe County Census index lists N. Goldsborough, a resident of Richland Township, age 27, whose occupation is “Head sawyer.” The household includes Ada Goldsborough, age 23, M. Goldsborough, age 7, and C. F. Goldsborough, age 4, all born in Indiana. There are no Goldsboroughs listed in the Monroe County census indexes for 1860 or 1880, or in the birth, marriage, or death in-dexes, so the household members may have lived in Monroe County for only a brief period. In 1870, the “village” of Ellettsville had a population of about 450. The commu-nity had several sawmills in the course of the latter nineteenth century.

REMISSION Of Fine

CONRAD BAKER

[engraved drawing] GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF INDIANA

To all who shall see these presents--Greeting: Know Ye, That upon the payment to the proper officer for the benefit of the School Fund of the Sum of One Hundred Dollars ($100.)—and not otherwise—part and parcel of a fine of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.) as-sessed against Norman Goldsborough at the March term 1871, of the Monroe Circuit Court on a Conviction on a charge of Assault & Battery. I do hereby remit unto the said Nor-man Goldsborough the residue.—viz: the sum of Four Hundred Dollars ($400.) of the said fine of $500. In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused to be affixed the Seal of the State, at the City of Indianapolis, this 21st day of June, in the year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Seventy one By the Governor: Conrad Baker [???] Eddy Secretary of State

MCHS Finances YTD for 2005-2006 This is a new feature that will appear in the newslet-ter. This column should give the membership a accurate understanding of the financial condition of the Historical Society. The MCHS fiscal year is April 1 to March 31. Income YTD $25,441.90 Expenses YTD $29,809.37 Expenses

Income


Founders Endowment: Help Us Build A Path That Remembers Forever Soon you will receive a packet in the mail announcing the upcoming Founders Endowment. The goal of this endowment is to raise $2,000,000. The interest from the endowment will be applied to the general operating fund of the Historical Society and its facilities and programs. The Monroe County Historical Society is a self-sustaining non-profit organization that financially relies on donations and memberships. The first million has been raised through private sources, and now it is time for the endowment to go public. The purchase of engraved bricks is a one way for you to participate. The Monroe County History Path will be surfaced with 4”x8” and 8”x8” bricks engraved to specification. Bricks are only $500 or $1000. Bricks will hopefully be installed in the late fall of 2005. Only a limited number are available, so order yours today. The Monroe County History Path will be located near the entrance to the History Center at the corner of Sixth and Washington Streets. More than 12,000 people a year will pass over the path and see your brick. Order a brick for yourself, your family, an ancestor, clients or friends. Bricks make creative gifts that last a lifetime. Proceeds from brick sales will be credited to the Founders Endowment Fund.

Please reserve ________ 4”x8” brick/s at $500. Please reserve ________ 8”x8” brick/s at $1000.

Credit Card #

Exp. date

Visa

MasterCard

Method of Payment

Check

Signature

Name

Address

Phone

E-mail

For 4”x8” brick Please use one square per letter or space.

For 8”x8” brick Please use one square per letter or space.

NOTE: Those ordering more than one brick may attach additional inscriptions to this form.

• Seasonal Items • Nostalgic Children’s Toys, Books & Crafts • Note Cards • Monroe County Coverlets • Clay City Pottery • Local History and General Interest Books • Genealogy Items • Unique Gift Wrap • MCHS Publications • Huge Selection of Paper Dolls • Postcards • Canvas Totes • Limestone and Glass Paperweights • Nostalgic Magnets • Earth Drops Soaps • Dillman Jams and Jellies • Products Made from Local Honey and

Beeswax • Armetale Metal Plate depicting Courthouse • A Wonderful Selection of Used Books 100% of the proceeds from the Store goes to the

Society to operate the History Center.

Museum Store

Among the great products sold in the Museum store are a number of locally made items. Featured

above are Earth Drops soaps and

Hoosier Honey’s skin care cream, lip balm and

honey.

Do You Have These

Books?

The Genealogy Library would like to complete a series of books by Thomas D.

Clark. The title is Indiana University,

Midwestern Pioneer. We have Volume I -

The Early Years.

We would like to have Volume II -

In Mid-passage; Volume III - Years of

Fulfillment; and Volume IV - Historical

Documents Since 1816.

Perhaps you have

some of these books in your collection and

would like to pass them on. We would

appreciate any or all of the three remaining

books.


Chattering, mingling together like so many hens, the citizens swirled about the newly-built train depot. They were breathlessly awaiting the arrival of the great Iron Horse, believing it to be the economic savior of their proud-but-shrinking community. Eve-ryone was there, including the dignitaries with their long-prepared speeches, more flowery and windy than a Kansas spring. School had been let out early that day and the young boys held their ears to the rails, listening for the telltale vibrations of the train. The year was 1906 and this was the day that prosperity would begin to flow into the hamlet of Solsberry.

Solsberry’s day of boisterous celebration was the result of many years of rumor, speculation, and aborted attempts at a new line bisecting Southern Indiana. However, in the summer of 1899, a number of Indian-apolis businessmen combined forces and organized the Indianapolis Southern Rail-way, and their surveyors soon charted a line that would pass through a chain of ridges between Bloomington and Bloom-field. This proposed route would pass

through sleepy Solsberry, filling its residents with the prospects of economic renewal and expansion. They placed all their eggs in this railroad basket, hoping that it would reverse the slow population decline that was draining their community.

Though Solsberry was steadily vanishing from existence, the town had not always been in such a torpid state. Beginning in the 1830’s, rough and hardy settlers from Ken-tucky and North Carolina were putting down roots in the heavily forested area. They soon discovered that the hilly environment was not amenable to farming. Many left for greener pastures, but a small but determined contin-gent decided to stick it out with this difficult manner of living, preferring a hardscrabble existence here than in the bucolic lands fur-ther west. Despite these inauspicious beginnings, the Solsberry settlers quickly solidified into a

Solsberry’s Brush with Destiny By Jason Slutzky, Volunteer

Continued on next page

Beautiful white dresses were all the rage in the summer of 1905. Make sure you check

out the“Summer Sunday ,1905” exhibit.


small but lively community, and served as the trading center of the entire Beech Creek Township. By the mid 1870’s Solsberry could boast of such things as grocery stores, black-smiths, a couple of doctors, and schools. Small frontier community that it was, Sols-berry lacked a dedicated entertainment cen-ter, but this probably mattered little since many inhabitants pursued amusement of the distilled variety. In the vast economic expan-sion of the post-Civil War era, Solsberry could not help but prosper.

This prosperity, however was not to last. As the 20th Century dawned, Solsberry found itself in a precipitous general decline, trigger-ing a steady loss of population. Without the benefit of adjacent rail transportation or wa-terways, the rustic town could no longer com-pete with other trading communities in the area. Many of its young men decamped for coal fields and better farmlands elsewhere in the county; some left the state altogether. It was is in this ominous climate that news of the new railroad line came to Solsberry.

Moving quickly the Indianapolis Southern assembled a large workforce and set them to work, carving the path that the railroad lines would take through the hills of Southern Indi-ana. The work for the most part progressed steadily, but one massive engineering obsta-cle stood in their way. The railroad engineers had to devise a practical and safe method to bridge a valley (located three miles west of Solsberry) that spanned almost a half-mile across. Of all the aggregated feats of engi-neering that would comprise the new railroad line, this was the great challenge.

All of this flurry of activity provided a continu-ous source of entertainment for the residents of Solsberry and the people of the surround-ing area. Each day any number of the towns-people would fill baskets with food and picnic in the hills surrounding the construction area. They would marvel at the dangerous specta-cle of the workmen risking their lives in heroic feats of construction; there were many ru-mors of disfiguring accidents, though in the end there was only one confirmed fatality. With each passing week, people from the area witnessed the massive framework of the viaduct take form, rising off the valley floor like an enormous spider web. Nearly as compelling as the construction pro-ject itself, the people came to see the

strange-looking outsiders hired on as the work gangs. There was a small contingent of black laborers from the South, which aroused some curiosity from the secluded townspeo-ple. However, it was the Italian laborers, sent directly from the mother country, which set citizens of Solsberry agog with their alien customs and behaviors. At the end of the grueling workdays, the Neapolitans set about entertaining themselves through endless gambling sessions, while simultaneously consuming enormous quantities of wine of their own concoction. This, of course, re-sulted in confrontations and fisticuffs too nu-merous to count. The natives of the area took a rather benign view of all this, not bothering to interfere so long as the incomprehensible foreigners kept to themselves. Despite all the drunken carousing going on in the work camps, work progressed at a rapid rate; by late 1906, the huge viaduct was as-sembled in time for the last sections of track to be laid. With the completion of the new line came the triumphant predictions of prosperity for Solsberry and the rest of the Bloomfield area. And for a time, those predictions largely held true; tiny Solsberry was transformed into a busy railroad town, distinguishing itself as a logging depot. Unfortunately, the changes wrought by the railroads were not to last; by the mid 1920’s Solsberry found itself in eco-nomic decline once more, the victim of shift-ing economic trends and the decline of rail-roads as transportation and industrial trans-port. Although Solsberry quickly became quiet once again, the remaining residents would always look back fondly on those exciting days when the railroads seemed to deliver on their hopes and ambitions.

Solsberry’s Brush with Destiny Continued from page 8

“Taste of Monroe County” - the MCHS’s new cookbook should be available in mid September for purchase.

It will be the “must have”

gift this year.

The 4th Annual Festival of Wreaths is just

around the corner!

MCHS is seeking donations of wreath deco-rations, pre-decorated wreaths and trees, along with vintage ornaments, gift baskets and gift certificates.

All donations need to be brought to the History Center by October 20th. The Fes-tival of Wreaths’ Silent Auction begins the first week of November and concludes Thanksgiving weekend. Please call the His-tory Center if you have any questions.


As his body lay on the bed in the White House, he seemed almost like a statue. With the blood of his body now replaced with chemicals, each limb would be nearly as heavy as a statue. But he was not a statue. He was President of the United States. And he was dead. Abraham Lincoln died at Pe-terson’s Boarding House, across from Ford’s Theater, on the morning of April 15, 1865. His body was placed in a temporary coffin and transported back to the White House. He was placed on a bed frame in a spare bed-room with only a few wooden boards and a sheet to support his lifeless body. Parts of his hair were cut and given to his family, doctors, guards, cabinet members, and servants. This was a popular practice at the time, as hair was often used in scrapbooks, wreaths, and even jewelry.

To perform the embalming, the White House called upon the firm of Brown and Alexander. They had embalmed the president’s son Wil-lie only three years earlier. Embalming had come a long way in those three years. The Civil War saw thousands upon thousands of men dying far from home. They needed pres-ervation to make the trip home to be buried. Medical embalmers worked directly on the battlefields, catering both to men of the Union and of the Confederacy. Families would be charged anywhere from $25-40 for an enlisted man and $50-80 for an officer. Bod-ies were placed in cheap wooden boxes with the names and addresses of family written on the sides. Inside, next to their remains, were their personal effects. They were then shipped home for burial.

The firm sent one of their employees, Henry P. Cattell. First, he posed the president’s face for viewing by closing his eyes and turn-ing the ends of the mouth slightly upward. Then the actual embalming process began. Blood was drained through the jugular vein and embalming fluid was injected into the femoral artery, located in the thigh. The rela-tively new mixture of non-poisonous embalm-ing fluid was created by Dr. Thomas Holmes of Columbia University in the late 1850s. The main part of the fluid was zinc chloride, made by dissolving zinc in hydrochloric acid. Al-most immediately after being injected with the embalming fluid, the former president’s body became as hard as stone. He was now ready to be put on display. The president would travel by train, stopping

along the way to lie in state in twelve cities before finally being laid to rest in Springfield, Illinois. The staff of Brown and Alexander accompanied the body on its journey to maintain Lincoln’s appearance with the help of several local undertakers and embalmers hired along the way.

The biggest problem with the president’s ap-pearance was easily the discoloration of the skin, especially around the eyes. The skin had been bruised due to “transmitted force,” which cracked both orbital plates in his skull. This was due to the blatant head trauma Lin-coln received from the bullet that killed him. However, the skilled doctors of Brown and Alexander were able to disguise the bruises with cosmetic costume makeup and were applauded by both citizens and the media for their efforts.

An estimated one and a half million people stood in line to pay their respects in the cities of Washington, DC; Baltimore, MD; Harris-burg, PA; Philadelphia, PA; New York, NY; Albany, NY; Buffalo, NY; Cleveland, OH; Co-lumbus, OH; Indianapolis, IN; Michigan City, IN; Chicago, IL; and finally in Springfield, IL. The president’s body arrived in Indianapolis on the morning of April 30, 1865 and re-mained on display until late evening. Thou-sands came from throughout Indiana to say their goodbyes; even the torrential rainfall could not stop them. However, Governor Oliver Morton had to cancel a speech he had prepared, fearing he might follow in Lincoln’s footsteps and catch his death. Several citi-zens of Monroe County made the long horse-drawn trip to Indianapolis that day. Many wrote to family members and reported on the good condition of the president’s body. Also reporters, while noting the skin discolora-tions, commended the embalmers for pre-serving President Lincoln long enough to be given a final sendoff by the people of Monroe County.

While some families learned the effects of embalming after losing a loved one in the Civil War, the preservation of President Abra-ham Lincoln for twenty days showcased the benefits of embalming for not only funerary purposes, but also sanitary purposes. Over time, undertakers began to adopt the practice of embalming on a larger and larger scale until it finally became an established custom for most Americans.

Lincoln’s Embalming Popularized the Practice by Rachel Resler, Volunteer

Upcoming Exhibit

Mourning and Mortuary

Practice in Monroe County

Starting in September

Death is not always a joyous time. However, we hope that you will en-joy this upcoming exhibit. Explore the practical, emotional, religious and social expressions that people use to help them get through this often diffi-cult phase of life. This will be a comprehensive exhibit with an emphasis on the Victorian Era and the Civil War. There are few social practices that are truly universal, as each society has its own way to celebrate or mourn death. It is this that makes this exhibit impor-tant, and more impor-tantly, provocative. Watch for coming events associated with this ex-hibit’s topic.


Current Society members are invited to participate in any of the following committees. If you have questions or are interested in joining a committee, please call the History Center office. • Active Policy Document: Creates a variety of documents that would allow any staff

member to be able to run day to day operations in case of emergency, etc. • Annual Event Fundraisers: Coordinates the June garage sale and February auction. • Building and Grounds: Works to maintain the building and grounds. • Cemetery: Works to locate and preserve local cemeteries. • Collections and Exhibits: Works with staff to maintain and expand the collection

(including accepting artifacts) and to prepare exhibits. • Finance: Works with director to plan the budget, reviews income and expenses regu-

larly, and makes investment recommendations to the board. • Founders Endowment: Prepares for and coordinates the endowment campaign. The

income from the endowment is used for operating expenses. • Library and Archives: Operates the genealogy and local history library, collects pri-

mary and secondary source material, and produces finding aids and histories from the materials.

• Membership: Works with staff to recruit new members and renew current members. • Personnel: Determines staffing needs, hires staff, reviews staff performance, sets staff

compensation, and develops and updates the active policy document. • Special Events: Coordinates activities including wreath silent auction and any added

events with the purpose of increasing History Center attendance. • Strategic Planning: Creates a long term management plan.

Membership Invited to Join MCHS Committees

Right-A delegation of Illinoisans gathers in front of the Lincoln home on the corner of 8th and Jackson Streets in Springfield. Lincoln had hoped to return here after his second term as Presi-dent

Left-An ornate hearse that was built for the occasion carries Lincoln's casket up Broad Street in Philadel-phia. Several people were injured in the rush to view the President's body at historic Independence Hall.

Above-Under a huge arch near the lakefront of Chi-cago, the hearse is at-tended by pallbearers, an honor guard, and 36 schoolgirls in white, each representing a state in the reunited nation.

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2005

100th Anniversary of MCHS

25th Anniversary of the Museum